FARMINGTON, Maine — Entertaining is stressful, but it doesn’t have to be, according to event planner Sallie Tyler of The Paper White Room on Broadway, due to open soon.

Tyler, an experienced planner, is now booking events and soirees for the large, light space above The Calico Patch, which holds 75 to 100 people.
When asked about the name Thursday, she said the white walls and sun-drenched window space remind her of the paperwhite flower, a variety of narcissus.

With 10 years of experience as an event planner in Mississippi and Memphis, Tyler has prepared more than 100 weddings but loves small parties, especially birthday parties for children and baby showers, she said.

A Mississippi native, Tyler met and married a Farmington native, Ken Tyler. They moved here this summer, she said. The couple has a 5-year-old daughter.

After searching for a local space to pursue her work, she’s ready to open the Broadway venue within a couple weeks. While she’s there to plan and execute any type of party or event, the space can also be rented out for the day for meetings and luncheons. Kim Roberts offers gentle yoga there every Wednesday, she said.

Tyler wants people to be able “to be a guest at their own event,” she said.
Today’s busy women and mothers can leave all the event arrangements to her.

“They can just dress up and go,” she said.

A small child’s birthday party can be simple, yet it still requires a lot of work and planning. She’s willing to make arrangements for everything from cake to candles, party games to goody bags. She’ll even travel to provide the party at another location, she said. Tyler is also the party attendant, refilling beverages and organizing games, so the parent can sit down and enjoy the occasion, she said.

Tyler wants to educate the public that they don’t have to do it all alone. A mother herself, Tyler has firsthand knowledge of the important things mothers need to make an event special. She also knows the work involved and how quickly expenses can rise.

The party packages cover all supplies and services and can be customized as desired, she said. They are also affordable.

Weddings are events that require the help of a planner, Tyler said, and she provides a one-stop shop. She works with other professionals to plan for everything — cakes made locally by Erica Thompson owner of Rica’s Cakes, limousine rides, lighting candles or even pinning a corsage on your grandmother. These things don’t get done by themselves, she said, and it doesn’t cost more for her to do it than to do it yourself.

“I know what’s important, and I guarantee perfection,” she said.

For now, she’ll rely on caterers for parties but plans to pursue licensing so that she can offer meals and beverages from a small kitchen in the space.

The Paper White Room is available for a gamut of events, including meetings, classes or parties that won’t fit into the host’s home, she said.